Plungers are commonly used for unclogging blocked drains. The basic plunger consists of a rubber suction device mounted on a handle. This basic plunger, while effective for many clogs, has its associated problems. These problems include limited suction power to dislodge clogs and a tendency to displace a high volume of water/fluid, both when first inserted and then during actual plunging action. As a result, splashing and/or overflow of drain liquid/fluid may result. In an attempt to at least increase the available suction power for a plunger, an accordion/bellow section has been added to many versions to increase the change in volume and thereby the amount of pressure which may be generated with the plunger.
There are many circumstances in which the common plunger cannot dislodge the clog within a drain. As a result, there are a series of power plungers which have been developed. Such power plungers generally use a pressurized fluid source or water flow via a pump mechanism to create a positive fluid pressure against the clog. Such power plungers have generally proven to be more effective against tough clogs. However, an obvious potential drawback of such a power plunger is that the addition of more fluid to an already clogged drain may alone cause overflow. Additionally, such power plungers are generally complex in nature and usually require a hookup with another fluid or water source.
What is needed in the art is a hand-operable plunger which is self contained, simple to use, and which is able to create a positive pressurized fluid flow against a clog to thereby increase its effectiveness in dislodging clogs. Also, the hand-operable plunger can be coupled to a valve assembly to form a hand-operable pump for displacing fluid.